Improving Australian climate change adaptation strategies: learning from international experience

At the beginning of the new century, the Panel had already identified the development of adaptation response and a better understanding of the barriers to adaptation as one of the top priorities for closing the gap between knowledge of climate change and policy making addressing it (McCarthy et al. [...] The journey toward international cooperation to address the damage of anthropogenic climate change started in the mid-1980s with the Vienna Convention and the declared intention of the global community to work together towards reducing GHG emissions to protect the ozone. [...] However, while the commitment of the international community to address climate change has grown and strengthened since the adoption of the UNFCCC, the overall narrative of the actions identified to tackle climate change has remained intact over the last three decades. [...] Together with these actions the Australian Government has also budgeted for the delivery over the following two years of the ‘Australia’s first National Climate Risk Assessment and a National Adaptation Plan to understand the risks to Australia from climate change, invest in a plan to adapt to those risks and commission an independent review of the Australian Climate Service’ (Chalmers and Gallage. [...] 2.4 Overview The review and mapping of policy and programs related to CCA and resilience policy frameworks in the urban context in Australia, the US and the EU highlight that: • At the federal level, Australia has progressed in legislating on mitigation, committing to achieve net zero by 2050 and implementing concrete action to reduce GHG emissions.